Cord cutters have been put through the wringer over the past few years.
The promise of finally freeing ourselves from the shackles of the cable television prison has been replaced by the cold reality that major corporations always win.
When cord cutting started, paying $4.99 monthly for two or three subscription services that offered you almost the same value as a cable subscription seemed like a steal when cable bills can run hundreds of dollars per month.
But since then, prices have increased dramatically.
Recent streaming price increases
- Disney: Ad-supported tier prices raised to $11.99 from $9.99 per month; ad-free tier raised to $18.99 from $15.99 per month.
- Disnet+ & Hulu bundle: Ad tier prices raised to $12.99 from $10.99 per month; ad tier for bundle with ESPN Select rises to $19.99 from $16.99 per month; ad-free tier rises to $29.99 from $26.99 per month.
- HBO Max: The ad-free plan increased to $16.99 from $15.99 per month; the 4k ad-free plan rose from $19.99 to $20.99 per month; and the ad-supported tier is $9.99 per month.
- Apple TV+: Raised monthly price to $12.99 from $9.99 in August; annual subscription price remained $99.
- Paramount+: Raised Paramount+ with Showtime sub price to $12.99 from $11.99 per month.
With all these changes and price increases, it may be cheaper just to go back to cable.
However, a new law in California could make life more peaceful for those keeping their streaming services.
California signs a law forcing Netflix, Hulu to turn down the volume
This week, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 576 into law, a move that will be music to the ears of any television watcher who has ever been startled by the sudden change in volume once their favorite show goes to commercial.
The new law bans excessively loud advertisements on streaming platforms. It is modeled after a federal law passed in 2010 that limits ad volumes on cable and broadcast television.
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“We heard Californians loud and clear, and what’s clear is that they don’t want commercials at a volume any louder than the level at which they were previously enjoying a program,” Newsom said in a statement. “California is dialing down this inconvenience across streaming platforms.”
According to Politico, the Motion Picture Association initially opposed the bill but dropped its opposition after legislators added legal provisions that shield streamers from lawsuits brought by private parties.
The bill’s last provision states, “This chapter does not create a private right of action.”
Instead, the law will be enforced by the state attorney general.
The bill goes into effect on July 1, 2026, after which time video streaming services “can’t transmit audio of commercial advertisements louder than the video content the advertisements accompany.”
Cord-cutting trend expected to continue
Americans have been canceling their cable subscriptions steadily for the last 15 years.
One-time cable titans like CNN and ESPN have seen their viewership drop dramatically as their respective parent companies try to figure out how to best integrate those products onto their streaming platforms.
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Nearly 4 million Americans dropped their cable plans last year, and since 2012, cable has lost about 25 million subscribers, according to Broadband Search. By 2030, the firm expects fewer than six in 10 U.S. households to have cable.
The phenomenon affects older generations more, as younger generations don’t have the same cable conditioning as their parents.
About 35 million Americans have never had cable, and many of them are young adults, college-aged, or recent grads.
Netflix alone has more viewers than cable and satellite combined.
Netflix (NFLX) shares were up 2.5% to $1,192.32 at the time of this writing on Oct. 7. Walt Disney Co. (DIS) , which owns Hulu, was basically flat at $112.63.
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